by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Dec 19, 2019 | Viewpoint
Timely Words, Timeless Words January 2020 Gerald L. Baliles, Virginia’s 65th governor who served from 1986-1990, passed away in October at age 79. During his governorship and his career as a lawyer and civic leader, he worked successfully, on a bipartisan basis, for...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Nov 1, 2019 | Viewpoint
Peace and Goodwill in Boots and Hardhats A team of lineworkers from electric cooperatives in Virginia and Maryland travels thousands of miles to bring light and hope to the residents of several remote villages. November-December 2019 Bolivia is a land of breathtaking...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Sep 30, 2019 | Viewpoint
Lessons of the Fall Autumn cools and colors the landscape, reminding us to enjoy its fleeting beauty as we bring in the harvest … and prepare for the winter to come. October 2019 Ah, October. Balmy, blue-sky days. Oranges, reds, golds woven into the landscape’s...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Aug 30, 2019 | Viewpoint
Honest Outreach This year’s survey shows a large and loyal readership, actively engaged with a print magazine in a digital age. September 2019 My passion for publishing began early as an 8-year-old in 1964. My tools were few and my writing skills were rudimentary. But...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Jul 29, 2019 | Viewpoint
The Flood, the Festival, the Foot on the Moon Three larger-than-life events happened in a narrow band of days in August 1969. Each is iconic, summoning memories and moods with mere mentions: Camille. Woodstock. Apollo 11. August 2019 August is usually a drowsy month....
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Jun 29, 2019 | Viewpoint
Our Own Greatest Generation Few dreams in the 1930s seemed more daunting than delivering electricity to far-flung farmhouses. But thanks to common folks with uncommon grit, light would soon spread across the landscape of Virginia and the rest of our vast nation. July...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | May 30, 2019 | Viewpoint
Summertime Magic The sights, the sounds, the scents … the exhilarating freedom. For the young, and those who remember being young, summertime is pure magic. June 2019 Every year in June, students step out of school and into a freedom that isn’t really appreciated...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Apr 30, 2019 | Viewpoint
Back to Basics It’s our most basic civic duty. Here in the Old Dominion, we have an opportunity to fulfill it every year. In fact, next month many Virginians will have their next chance to do so. How? By voting on June 11. May 2019 W e live in an anxious age. We may...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Feb 28, 2019 | Viewpoint
A Roundup of Wood Walkers On May 10 & 11, plan to come and marvel at the climbing, rescuing, power-restoring derring-do of competitors taking part in one of the largest line worker rodeos in the country. March-April 2019 In the idol worship of youth in the ’60s,...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Jan 29, 2019 | Viewpoint
Paper Power For almost 75 years, we’ve put ink on paper to tell the cooperative story. Even in this digital age, we believe that print is still a powerful communications medium. February 2019 This magazine you’re reading was born in 1946, in the fresh dawn of a world...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Jan 1, 2019 | Viewpoint
Wise Words from Washington … … George Washington, that is. Father of our country. Our first and one of our finest presidents. Native of Virginia’s Northern Neck. Little remembered today, his 1796 Farewell Address contains warnings and wisdom that still ring true at...
by Richard Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor | Nov 1, 2018 | Viewpoint
Homeplace Going home is the perfect way to celebrate the sacred days that close out the calendar year. November-December 2018 All of us have a homeplace: it may be the place of our birth, where our forebears dwelled, where we were raised, or where the gravitational...